You can pick the meat from a roast pheasant for this dish (cook the pheasant for about 40 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6), but the method below shows how to confit the legs so they are tender and crisp, then simmer the breasts in butter.

Sprinkle the spice mix over the pheasant legs and leave for 1½ hours. Brush off most of the marinade with your fingers or a spoon, then put the legs in a small flameproof casserole with the duck fat. Cook over a low heat for two hours until the pheasant is tender. Allow to cool in the pot. Refrigerate if you are making this part of the dish in advance – it will last a week or more. Before serving, preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6; shake the fat from the pheasant legs or scrape it off, then roast them until crisp – 15-20 minutes. The legs can be served with the pilaf, or separately.

Melt the butter in a frying-pan over a low-to-medium heat, then add the pheasant breasts. Cook the meat in the butter, keeping the heat low so that it does not brown and dry out. The meat will turn from pink to white; turn after two minutes and cook the other side. Remove from the butter and slice the meat when it has cooled a little – then reserve it.

It does not matter if the inside is still pink. Reserve the cooking fat, leaving two tablespoons in the pan.

Add the onion to the pan and fry until golden. Add the spices and the pheasant meat, then the rice. Cook, stirring, until the rice is hot. To finish, season with salt and white pepper; add the pistachios and pomegranate pips. The pilaf is now ready to eat, with or without the confit legs.

Variations

Wild rabbit Use at any time of year. Take the saddle off the bone and cook as for the pheasant breasts; confit the rear legs of the rabbit.

Chicken Use breasts and legs as for the pheasant. Maize-fed chicken has the best appearance.

Duck It is more economical to buy six legs of duck and confit them as you would pheasant legs, then take the meat off the bone and add to the pilaf with the spices.

Leftover meat from a roast At Christmas, make this dish with turkey or goose, adding small slices of cold meat with the spices; cold roast lamb also works well – add a pinch of turmeric to the spice mix.

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